The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the first detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie introducing her fictional detective Hercule Poirot It was written in the middle of the First World War in 1916 and first published by John Lane in the < span>United States in October 1920 and in the United Kingdom by The Bodley Head John Lane s UK company on 21 January 1921 < span>< p> The< span> story is set in the English countryside during the First World War The wealthy Emily Inglethorp is found dead in her bed and her death is ruled a heart attack However her stepson Alfred Inglethorp is convinced that she was poisoned He calls in Belgian detective Hercule Poirot to investigate < p> Poirot quickly discovers that there are many people who had a motive to kill Emily Inglethorp Her husband her stepson her daughter in law her maid and her doctor are all suspects Poirot must use all of his skills to find the real killer before they strike again < p> The Mysterious Affair at Styles was a critical and commercial success when it was first published It helped to establish Christie as a major writer of detective fiction and it has been adapted into several films and television series The novel is still popular today and it is considered to be one of Christie s best works < p> Here are some of the key features of the book:< p> If you are a fan of detective fiction then you will definitely want to read The Mysterious Affair at Styles It is a classic mystery novel that is sure to keep you guessing until the very end < p> Here are some additional details about the book:< p> The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a classic mystery novel that is sure to please fans of the genre It is a well written and suspenseful story with a satisfying ending If you have never read a Christie novel before this is a great place to start < p>